


I Don't Know How to Tell You This

by CoramDeo



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Gen, Post-Endgame, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26169871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoramDeo/pseuds/CoramDeo
Summary: It's been two years since the barrier was broken, and a month since Frisk and Chara settled into their new arrangement of sharing control of their body.  But neither of their parents have been told that Chara is even alive, much less using Frisk's body.  Can Chara work up the courage to finally reveal their presence to Toriel and Asgore?
Comments: 27
Kudos: 111
Collections: Fanfiction From The Chara Defense Squad





	1. Mom

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [It's You, Too](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21370693) by [KoboldKing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoboldKing/pseuds/KoboldKing). 



> This is a 100% unofficial, non-canonical sequel to _[It's You, Too](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21370693/)_ , an excellent story by [KoboldKing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoboldKing/pseuds/KoboldKing) who has graciously allowed me to create my own story within his universe. 
> 
> This story takes place one month after the events of _It's You, Too_.
> 
> As always I am indebted to Spark [(TakaiWolf)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakaiWolf/) for her proofreading and critical eye. Thanks also go to [YetAnotherPersona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YetAnotherPersona/pseuds/YetAnotherPersona) for helping bring the epilogue to life.

For the second day in a row, Chara woke up. 

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Today was Friday, which meant Frisk was supposed to be waking up, jostling Chara into consciousness by stretching and yawning. Chara would get a brief view of the ceiling fan spinning lazily for a second or two. Then the quilt and sheets would snap back and they would find themselves being violently bounced out of bed. Chara greeted Frisk's energetic start to the day with a groan every single time, but never with a verbalized complaint. They could put up with it. It would be Frisk's turn to suffer the next day, stifling their impatience at how long it took Chara to sluggishly roll their body out of bed after they stabbed the snooze button two or three times. As with every human amalgamate consisting of two people squashed into a single body, compromises had to be made. 

Except this was Frisk's day to steer their body. _Or at least it would have been_ , Chara thought glumly, _if I hadn't been such a coward._ The shame they had gone to sleep with the night before crept back into their head. They had had a whole _day_ to say what they were going to say - why hadn't they just done it and gotten it over with, instead of wasting time hoping for just the right moment? Their procrastination only meant that now _another_ day was going to be spoiled by anxiety and dread. Why were they so terrified and slow and _stupid_ and…? 

_"Uh-uh, Chara_ ," came a gentle but insistent voice in their head. " _I can feel that. You're doing it again. Don't start down that path."_

_"Look, Frisk, I just woke up, OK? I'm just pulling my thoughts together, that's all."_

_"No, you're getting upset about how yesterday went, and you're probably feeling bad again that you're taking my day, even though it's totally fine and I don't mind at all. Right?"_

_"Frisk…ugh!"_ Chara, who hadn't moved yet, sighed heavily and closed their eyes again. _"It is far too early for you to be mind-reading."_

_"But I'm right, aren't I?"_

Chara's felt a flash of annoyance. Frisk was right, of course, and they had to admit their real irritation had little to do with Frisk putting their finger on the problem. Yesterday was supposed to have been the culmination of four weeks of planning and mental preparation. With Frisk's enthusiastic support, Chara had steeled themselves to reveal their presence to their parents. Both of them knew it _had_ to be done eventually. From the day they had started sharing control of their body, it had been clear that their differing personalities and mannerisms would either make the truth obvious to their parents, or else fill them with worry that something bizarre was happening to Frisk every other day. Either way, they couldn't hide the truth forever. 

It wasn't that Chara _wanted_ to keep their parents or their friends in the dark. Deep down, they were even looking forward to the moment when they could announce their return after having been gone for over a century. But when the day had finally arrived, Chara had blown it. Breakfast had gone by without a good opportunity presenting itself, then Toriel was too busy during the morning to have a lengthy conversation, and then it seemed too awkward at lunch, and then she had to run an errand after that, and by then it was going to be too late to get over to Asgore's house _anyway_ , and wouldn't it be better to tell both parents on the same day? The question was still unresolved by dinner, and then it seemed too late by the time evening rolled around, and then Chara and Frisk were back in bed with Toriel kissing them goodnight. In spite of Frisk's sympathy and the offer of a do-over the next day, Chara went to sleep clouded with thoughts of failure and self-recriminations. 

" _Look, Chara, it's fine!"_ Frisk was now insisting. _"I'm totally OK with you taking control today. I know this is really hard, and nobody says you have to be able to get it done in a day. It's completely fine if you need more time to get ready. I don't mind you taking an extra day or two. Or even three."_

_"I am NOT going to take a third day. That would be completely unfair."_

_"All I'm saying is, don't woooorry about it,"_ the voice pleaded. _"I'm fine. You can take all the time you need."_

Chara sighed again and rolled their head to look at the clock on the night table next to them. _8:15_. 

_"Alright, Frisk. Thank you."_

_"We're gonna get through this together, and in the end it's gonna be great!"_

Chara felt their right hand move on its own and gently start rubbing the fingers of their other hand. It was a system the two of them had wordlessly worked out over the last few weeks. Chara was left-handed while Frisk was right-handed. Over Frisk's objections, Chara had insisted that they would learn to favor their right hand in public as much as possible, to avoid anyone wondering why Frisk seemed to switch dominant hands every other day. But between the two of them, when internalized words and emotions just weren't enough, they would communicate affection or fear or other strong feelings to their friend using their dominant hand. There was something reassuring about "Frisk's" hand physically coming over to squeeze "Chara's". With a spark of appreciation directed towards their friend, Chara seized control of both hands and pushed themselves out of bed. 

While the two children shared a similar style in clothing, their color preferences were almost entirely at odds. Plain brown pants and shorts were fine, but Chara wished that Frisk had a wider variety of shirts to choose from. Pawing through the drawers, they finally selected a faded olive-colored short-sleeved shirt from the middle dresser drawer that held Frisk's least favorite outfits. A heavy sigh echoed in their mind. 

_"Knock it off, Frisk,"_ Chara glared at the mirror. " _If I can put up with that bright fuchsia shirt you wear, you can deal with this for a day."_

_"It's just so booooring,"_ Frisk whined. 

Ignoring them, Chara picked out the rest of their clothes and got dressed. A few minutes later they tossed their pajamas in the laundry basket next to the dresser. They were just about to leave the room when they stopped. For a moment Chara stood motionless, apparently in thought, before slowly turning back. They got down on their knees and opened the bottom drawer of the dresser, which held all the winter clothes that wouldn't be needed for several more months. Chara pushed aside the heavy sweaters and snow pants until they reached the bottom, where they stopped to look down at the object they had uncovered, glinting in the light. 

_"…Do you mind, Frisk?"_

_"No, it's fine! Although you might want to make sure Mom doesn't see it until you tell her about, um… you know, you. She knows I never wear it."_

_"Good thinking."_

Chara reached in and pulled the chain out. Wrapping it around their neck, they fastened the clasp, then tucked the locket under their collar. They checked themself in the mirror to make sure the chain was hidden as well, then opened their door and left the bedroom. 

* * *

Breakfast was bacon-and-egg pie and a bowl of blueberries. The middle of summer was prime picking season, and Frisk had spent most of Monday morning sweating at a local pick-your-own blueberry farm. Their determination to brave the sweltering heat had been matched by Toriel who had, despite almost wilting, still managed to pick five quarts on her own, probably because she could reach the beautifully ripe berries at the tops of the bushes, out of reach from everyone except professional basketball players and goat moms. All three of them loved blueberries, and Chara had complained only twice during the two hours they were out there. Frisk had been very proud of them. 

Now, as they swallowed the last of their blueberries and listened to Toriel humming to herself in the kitchen, Chara pushed the remains of their pie around on the plate glumly, staring at nothing. 

_"Hey, Chara - other hand."_

_"Oops."_ Chara switched the fork from their left hand to the right and resumed playing with their food, a little less dexterously. 

_"So, have you figured out what you're going to say?"_ asked Frisk. 

_"Ugh, no. I still can't think of a good way to bring up the subject."_

_"Maybe we've been overthinking this. Why not just jump right in? 'Hi, Mom, it's me, Chara. I'm right here.' Or something like that?"_

_"Frisk, no. We don't want a repeat of last month."_

The same uneasy memory went through both of their minds. A little too much body-swapping on the first day of shared control, unthinkingly done as a live performance in front of Toriel, had freaked her out. It had taken a little while to calm her down, but it had also exposed how raw her memories of Chara were, and how close to the surface they remained, even a century later. 

_"Yeah, you're right,"_ Frisk admitted. "I _guess we're gonna have to be more careful how we do it."_

Chara sighed. _"The hard part is that I can't really start without pretending I'm you, because she doesn't know I'm here and I don't know how to get her to that point."_

" _Yeah. I can't really think of a good-"_

_"WAIT. Wait a minute! That's it!"_ Chara put their fork down. Their eyes were wide open. They could feel the confusion from their friend. 

_"What? What's it?"_

_"I shouldn't be doing this at all! Toriel sees YOU sitting here, so you should do it!"_

_"What? No way! This is your day!"_ Frisk protested. _"This is your big moment! I'm not going to take that away from you. You're going to tell Mom that you're back, and she's gonna hug you and cry and-"_

_"No, no, that's not what I mean. I mean that YOU are her only child at the present. So, you should be the one to bring the subject up. Get her to the point where you can introduce me, and then I'll take over."_

A wave of uncertainty radiated from the back of Chara's head. 

_"I-I don't know about this plan, Chara,"_ Frisk said quietly. _"I don't have any clue what to say either. And I don't want to steal your big surprise."_

_"You won't. I will be ready to take over when the time is right. But Toriel is expecting to talk to you, so you should be the one who starts it off. You can talk about… I don't know, what her life was like when she was the queen. She will undoubtedly start talking about her children after a while. And then you can tell her that I am actually here now, and I will take over from there."_

The uncertainty radiating from their friend didn't diminish. 

_"I dunno Chara… that seems a little forced. I'm not sure this is a good idea."_

_"Please, Frisk - this really is the best way to do it, I am sure. You don't have to say much. Just get her to talk about the old days, and it will all fall into place naturally."_

There was a long pause. " _Alright,"_ Frisk finally said reluctantly. _"If you're really sure. I'll give it a try. Just finish breakfast for us while I try to think of what to say. I'll take over when you're done."_

_"Thank you, Frisk."_

Chara resumed eating, with a mixture of relief and guilt. What they had said was logical and reasonable; Frisk sounded a lot more like Frisk than Chara did, after all. And yet they couldn't help feeling guilty for shunting the hard part of the conversation off to their friend. Still, Frisk had an easy way with words and socializing that Chara could not imitate. Frisk would know what to say. And if Frisk did the talking, Chara wouldn't have to worry about slipping up and accidentally revealing something that "Frisk" could not possibly know. Not until the moment of truth came. 

Chara stuffed the last of the pie into their mouth and put their spoon and fork onto the plate. _Ready?"_

_"I-I guess so,"_ Frisk said reluctantly. _"Let's do it."_

_"OK. You take over from here."_

Chara relinquished control and moved into the background as Frisk picked up the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. Toriel was just finishing emptying the dishwasher. She beamed down at them. 

"Hello, dear one! How was breakfast?" 

"It was great, Mom - thanks! The pie was really good." 

"Wonderful! It is amazing how many things go well with eggs. If you liked that, perhaps you might enjoy something with egg and sausage tomorrow?" 

"Yeah, that sounds good." 

Frisk loaded their dishes and cup into the empty dishwasher as Toriel began to wipe the counters. 

_"OK, are you ready? Should I start now?"_ Frisk asked. 

_"If you like. Wait… do you think it would be better if we were in the living room? In case she needs to sit down?"_

_"Oh, that might be a good idea."_

Frisk cleared their throat. "Hey Mom, could I ask you something?" 

"Of course, dear," Toriel replied, without turning around. 

"Um… could we go sit down in the living room for a minute?" 

"Oh?" Toriel turned to look at Frisk. "Well certainly if you would like. Would that be more comfortable?" Faint lines of worry began to appear on her brow. "Is something wrong, my child?" 

"Oh no, no, nothing's wrong! I just wanted to ask you some stuff and, uh, maybe tell you some stuff. Just… some things. I just thought it'd be easier if we could sit down. But nothing's wrong!" 

The reassurances only appeared to increase Toriel's concern. Nevertheless, she put the washcloth back in the sink and dried her hands. "Certainly, dear." 

Together they walked out of the kitchen, past the small dining table, and into the living room. Toriel settled into her recliner, and Frisk clambered onto the sofa, doing their best to look nonchalant and calming down only slightly as their left hand reached out to grip the right one tightly. Toriel said nothing but looked at her child expectantly. 

"So, I was, uh, thinking about some of the things we were talking about a few weeks ago. You know, after I came home from visiting Dad." 

Another worried look crossed Toriel's face again, and Frisk hurried on. "We were talking about what life was like in the Underground, way back when you were a queen. And you started telling me some things about Chara and Asriel." 

Toriel took a deep breath. The furrowed lines on her face disappeared as she leaned back in the recliner, her shoulders slumping a little. "Ah yes. I apologize if that distressed you at all, Frisk. It was a moment of weakness on my part and I did not intend to dump my emotional heartaches on you." 

"No! No, it was fine, Mom. I'm glad you did! You never really talked much about Chara before, and I was interested in everything you said about them. That's kinda what I wanted to ask you about, actually. I was hoping you could tell me more about what Chara was like." 

Toriel gave them a quizzical look. "Really? Are you sure? Chara lived over a century ago, dear - what is it you find so interesting about them?" 

"Oh, uh..." _Help!_ they called internally. 

_"Tell her you're interested in what it was like for a human living in the Underground."_ Chara answered swiftly. 

"… well, I just thought it was really interesting how you and Dad used to have both a monster and a human child, and… I dunno, I just wanted to know more about what they were like. It's kind of like they're an adopted sibling I never knew I had. 

_"That's weird, Frisk, but whatever."_

The child said nothing more but sat quietly after slapping their own left hand lightly. Toriel's eyes became distant. 

"Well, Chara was a very... _intense_ child, I would say. When they fell into the Underground, they could not have been more than eight years old or so. Chara themself was not sure of their own age. And that was just one of the many things we never learned about their past, except that they must have had a very difficult life on the surface." 

She looked at Frisk and smiled, a little sadly. "Chara was quite intelligent - a lot like you, Frisk. It's amazing how much you remind me of them in so many ways. Like you, Chara had an unwavering determination when they set their mind on something. They were always very sure about what they wanted, and they were always certain they knew what the best way was to get it." 

"And they loved to learn new things. Chara and Asriel would often go to the library together, though I think perhaps Asriel did it more for Chara's sake than for any deep love of books on his part. Chara though… they could spend _hours_ there, reading whatever they could about human science, monster science, magic, botany, astronomy, drawing, ballet… anything they could find!" Toriel chuckled softly. "Of course, that did my heart as a teacher good." 

_"Ballet??"_

Chara fought to keep a glare off their face as amusement rolled out of their friend. 

_"Shut up, Frisk. The library at Home a hundred years ago was the size of our bedroom, and when you've read everything three times over, you either have to expand your horizons or stare at ceiling rocks with Asriel until your brain shrivels up."_

_"Shh, I'm trying to pay attention"_ Frisk said breezily. Toriel didn't notice her child's left hand reach over to pinch the right one, hard, and a moment later the hands were covered by a throw pillow to make private messaging easier. 

"What do you mean when you said that Chara was an intense child?" Frisk asked. 

"W _hy are you asking that?"_ Chara grumbled. _"This isn't getting us anywhere."_

_"I'm just curious - shh."_

"Oh, I just meant that Chara threw themselves headlong into whatever they did. I remember the day Chara decided they wanted to learn how to cook. I gave them my recipe book, and then went out to run some errands. When I got home, I discovered they used up my entire can of flour. Every time they had made a mistake, they had thrown the entire batch out and started over!" Toriel chuckled softly. "But they learned very quickly. I had modified all the recipes in the salvaged cookbooks we had for fire magic, of course, but Chara was determined to cook them the original way. And once they had a recipe figured out, they would begin to make modifications. They loved to experiment. Different kinds of spices, different types of vegetables, trying out cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves in their pastries, sometimes just using whatever ingredients I had in the refrigerator or pantry to see how that would affect the taste of whatever they were making. It was often difficult to follow a recipe exactly, since we didn't have many of the ingredients that are common on the surface, but Chara was resourceful. They often figured out how to substitute ingredients in case we couldn't..." 

Her words stopped suddenly, and slowly her eyes grew unfocused again as her face sagged. 

" _Chara! She's remembering the pie with the-"_

_"I know, I know! Say something else, quickly! Distract her!"_

"Um - yeah, that sounds pretty neat, Mom. Cooking can be a lot of fun!" Frisk said lamely. The words were enough to cause Toriel to blink and regain her composure, however, and Frisk hurried on. "So, did Chara have a lot of friends?" 

Chara made no comment, and after a moment's thought, Toriel slowly shook her head. 

"No, dear, I think Chara found it very difficult to made friends. At first Asgore and I thought it was the natural differences between monsters and humans that made it awkward, but I think that Chara probably did not have many friends on the surface either. In fact… in fact…" 

Frisk waited nervously while Toriel trailed off into silence for a moment. Chara still said nothing. When Toriel spoke again, there was a hint of sadness in her voice. 

"I think, Frisk, if I were to answer your question about what Chara was like, I would say that they were a child with a shadow over them." 

Frisk gulped and said nothing. This was clearly not the path to the happy revelation that either of them had intended. The conversation needed to be reset somehow. Which made it all the more surprising when Frisk heard their own voice saying, "What do you mean, Mom?" 

_"Chara?"_ Frisk asked. _"We don't have to talk about this. I can change the subject."_

_"Actually, I would like to hear the answer to this,"_ Chara replied. 

Toriel sighed and readjusted herself in the chair. "We always knew that Chara had come from some troubling situation when they fell into the Underground, but we felt that we must not pry into it, and Chara made it clear that they did not want to talk about it. Asgore and I hoped that in time, if we could give Chara a happy home and as much of a normal life that a human could have - living Underground with monsters - that they would find healing." 

A wistful smile appeared on her face. "Asriel took to Chara immediately, and Asgore and I hoped that he would be a good influence on Chara. And although I think his enthusiasm may have irritated Chara at first, they seemed to become fast friends before long. 

Frisk felt a mixture of warmth, longing, and regret radiate from their friend. 

"But the shadow never fully left Chara." 

Toriel folded her arms and began to rock gently in her recliner. 

"There was always a cloud of despondency around Chara that never fully lifted. Moments of joy seemed so fleeting for them, and I think the intensity with which they approached everything may have been in part to distract them from the pain that never seemed very far away. They acted properly, they were polite and respectful, they caused very little trouble, but… but Chara was so _burdened_. There was a barrier there that none of us could break." Tears began to form in Toriel's eyes. 

_"…Chara?"_ The voice was worried. 

_"Just let her talk, Frisk,"_ Chara said quietly. 

The child on the sofa began to tremble slightly, and their two hands restlessly sought each other. 

"And you heard the other night what happened in the end." Toriel sniffed and wiped the tears that had begun to fall. "The truth is, I failed them, dear one. Asgore and I both tried and failed. We just could not find a way to save them." Her sniffing grew louder. "I only wish I had spent more time with them-" 

_"No! You did! She did, Frisk!"_ Chara insisted vehemently. " _She was always there when I needed her."_

"And I wish I could have convinced them how much Asgore and Asriel and I loved them." 

_"You did, Mom! I knew that! I loved you too! That's why I wanted to break the barrier, so you would be-!"_

"And I wish," Toriel said, her voice cracking, "that Chara had known how deeply we would miss them. Even now." 

The voice in Frisk's head fell silent. 

For a moment, everything in the living room was quiet, except for a few snuffles and the creak of a chair gently rocking. Eventually Toriel looked up and gave her child a watery smile. "Perhaps that would have changed their mind. But perhaps it was always beyond our power." 

She blinked and shook her head. "Oh, dear! I am sorry, Frisk, for once again burdening you with this. This is surely not what you had in mind to talk about. Truly there were happy times back in those days as well. Why, I remember one time that Asriel and Chara and Asgore went to town..." 

She continued on, but neither child was listening. Frisk reached out to rub the other hand. " _Are you OK?"_

_"I never believed it, Frisk. I never believed that they would miss me. They told me they loved me, but I was sure that they would forget about me once they were free. Why didn't I believe them, Frisk?"_ Waves of anguish radiated from Chara. _"Why couldn't I have just been happy with them? They SAID they loved me \- Why didn't I LISTEN to them? I didn't listen! I got Asriel killed because I didn't believe them. Why didn't I believe them?"_ The agony pouring out from Chara was almost more than Frisk could handle. 

_"Chara… hey, Chara, it's OK. It's OK. That was a long time-"_

_"It's too late."_ Chara could barely formulate the words. _"It's too late. This… I can't even think anymore. We need to stop this. We need to stop this now, Frisk. Get us out of here. Please… please, let's just leave."_

As the waves of guilt and self-loathing continued to pour from their friend, Frisk agonized for a moment, then made a decision. 

"Mom?" 

Toriel, in the middle of her story, stopped and looked at them. 

"Mom," Frisk said, "if Chara were still here today, what would you say to them?" 

Toriel became very still. For several moments she said nothing. Chara's agitation continued to churn, and Frisk began to grow nervous. Had they gone too far? Was Toriel going to put an end to the conversation? But after a moment she started speaking again. Her eyes were distant, staring at nothing. 

"I have thought about that a great deal over the years. What words could I have used that would have changed things back then? What would I say if I could see them again? Of course, I would tell them that I loved them. All of us loved Chara. Asgore loved having Chara with him, whether it was in the garden or running errands in town or just visiting our subjects. And Asriel…" she gave a great sniff. "Dear Asriel - he loved Chara as much as anyone could love a sibling. He loved Chara enough to carry out their last wish. All Chara asked for in the end was to be back at their home one last time, to see the flowers of their village. And Asriel loved Chara enough to want to give that to them." 

The grief and guilt surging out of Chara was almost like a physical blow, threatening to overwhelm both children. 

_"Chara it's ok it's ok it's ok you're ok."_

Frantically their hands squeezed and intertwined. 

_"Frisk, she doesn't know, she doesn't know what I made him-"_

_"I know… I know. It'll be OK. It'll be OK. Hang on!"_

"But I think," Toriel stopped and sat motionless for a moment."I think, that perhaps if I could do it again, I would treat Chara differently." 

Surprise and dismay interrupted the waves of self-recrimination rolling out of Chara. Toriel's face had taken on a look of regret. She sat in silence for an uncomfortably long time. Eventually, with trepidation, Frisk asked, 

"What do you mean, Mom?" 

Toriel looked at them sadly. "Over the years, I have come to believe that perhaps Chara knew that we loved them, but never fully understood the nature of our love. I think that Chara may have thought that our love for them was only a love of pity. The kind of benevolence you have for some pitiful creature who has fallen into your life that you now have an obligation to assist. I wonder if perhaps Chara thought that was all we felt towards them." 

She gave a short, mirthless chuckle. 

"It may be that that was how it was in the beginning. Certainly, they were a frightful sight that first day, hanging on to Asriel as he dragged them through the front door, more dead than alive. Our hearts went out to them immediately. I feared that perhaps a lingering resentment towards humanity might rise up in Asgore... or even in myself. And yet to my wonder, it never did. All we felt was pity and a desire to help this poor, lost child." 

Toriel's eyes grew soft, and her paws began to gently rub each other. 

"But it wasn't long at all before it became so much more than that. Chara was a delight to us. Even in the moments when they could be a bit trying, our hearts went out to that child. Asgore and I would talk often about the two children after they had gone to bed, and it was with some surprise and genuine joy that we found that we loved both of them equally. In their own unique way, Chara had become part of our family, and we could not have been happier." 

"So I think… I think if I could see them again, I would tell Chara how much I missed them. And I know Asgore would say the same thing. I would try to make Chara understand how much better our family was because they were a part of it. I would try to convince Chara that we wanted them with us. That there was no need for them to…. for them to…" 

Tears were coming down Toriel's face now. Neither child dared to breathe. 

"…for them to leave us. I would tell them that they brought us so much joy." Her words had dropped almost to a whisper. "Not because we felt an obligation to them, not because we were sorry for them, not even for anything they ever did for us, but just for who they were." Her head dropped. "I wish they had known that. Oh, how I wish they had known." 

The three of them sat in uncomfortable silence, interrupted only by Toriel's snuffling. Frisk could feel the pain still throbbing in their friend's mind, but there was something else now. Deep, anguished longing. A desire to throw open their arms and rush forward, even as guilt and indecision still held them back. The turmoil bubbled as a war was fought. 

_"Chara… I think it's time."_

_"I don't…. I don't think I can-"_

_"You can! Mom loves you! Trust her! Go to her!"_

Toriel gave a little shake of her head, and her eyes refocused. She blinked several times, looking at the child on the sofa across from her as if she had suddenly remembered they were there. 

"Oh, my dear child, I am so sorry!" she said with an awkward laugh. "I have done it again, haven't I? Bringing out old memories to dump on you. I had no right to do that. Please forgive me, dear one." 

_"Chara?"_

"I am a foolish old woman who spends far too much time thinking about things long since passed that cannot be changed, when I should be focusing on what is here now, and what is ahead of us." 

_"Chara??"_

"I appreciate you listening to me so patiently, though. You are a remarkable child, my dear! There is something that makes it so easy to speak with you about adult things, but nonetheless that is no excuse for burdening you with such heavy, sad thoughts. Enough of that!" Toriel put her paws on the armrest of the chair, pushed herself up, and smiled down at her child. "Why don't we go to the kitchen and see if there is something we could make for dessert tonight? I believe I might have enough molasses and brown sugar to-" 

"Mom?" 

The voice was not Frisk's. 

Toriel stopped. "Yes, my child?" 

"Mom... it's me." 

A faint look of confusion furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry?" 

"It's me, Mom." Their voice cracked a bit. "It's Chara. I'm right here." 

Toriel blinked and shook her head with a small, confused smile. 

"I'm sorry, Frisk… what?" 

"I-I know it doesn't make any sense, but I'm Chara. I'm here with Frisk, right now. We're both here together, in this body." 

The smile disappeared. Confusion mounted in Toriel's eyes, along with something else Chara couldn't identify. 

"Frisk, what… what are you… why are you saying this?" Her voice was trembling. 

"I've wanted to tell you this for a long time, Mom, but… I just couldn't find a way to do it." Chara's voice began to shake, and their words grew faster. "I don't know how to explain it, but when Frisk fell into the Underground, I woke up inside their head. I could see and feel everything that Frisk was doing. And ever since that day, I've been with Frisk, and the two of us-" 

_" **FRISK!** "_

Chara broke off and stared at Toriel. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in fear. She began to back away towards the dining area. "What is going on? Why are you talking like this? Have you become ill?" She gasped. "Has all my talking about Chara done something to you?" 

She reached a trembling hand out, motioning downwards. "Please… please my child, just sit there for a moment. I will call Doctor Hartnell immediately. We will… we will find a way to help you. Please, just wait a moment…" Her words became confused as her eyes darted around looking for her phone. "It will be… we will… do not worry Frisk… I am very sorry… let me just…" 

"Mom!" 

Frisk tried to jump up and run forwards, but Chara was frozen, and they stumbled awkwardly out of the sofa. 

_"Let go, Chara! Let go!"_

Frisk could feel the panic from their friend, but a moment later the sluggishness from their limbs disappeared. Frisk took full control and stepped forward. 

"Mom, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to scare you!" Frisk pleaded. "Chara really is with me, but it's really OK! I can explain… well, I can try to explain!" 

Toriel's eyes began to fill with panic. She jerked backwards as Frisk came towards her, tripping over the leg of a dining chair behind her. She stumbled and fell hard against the table, only just barely catching herself from falling onto the floor. She twisted awkwardly and managed to collapse into the chair, her wide eyes still fixed on the child. 

_"STOP, FRISK! We're freaking her out!"_ The anguish and fear in Chara's voice brought Frisk to an immediate halt. 

_"What do we do now??"_ Frisk was close to panic as well. 

_"I don't know! I've messed it up again! I don't know what to do!"_

The monster and the child stared at each other, Toriel struggling for comprehension, and Frisk and Chara in indecision and misery. Their mother - _their own mother_ \- did not recognize them. She was staring in horror at them like they were a stranger. 

"…Mom?" Frisk finally choked out. 

Toriel's eyes still had not left them. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Frisk took a tentative step forward. 

"Mom? It's me. It's still me, Mom." Their words were a plea. 

"…Frisk?" Toriel said, almost in a whisper. 

_"Chara, what should I say?"_

There was no answer, only turmoil. But a moment later, Toriel reached out her trembling arms. Frisk rushed forward and was buried in her robe in an instant. 

"Frisk… oh Frisk, what has happened to you?" their mother’s voice cracked above them. "I am sorry, I am so sorry, I do not know what I have done! I am sorry I spoke to you about Chara, dear. I am sorry for hurting you. Please, ignore what I have said! I do not need you to speak as if you are Chara. I deeply apologize for whatever I said that gave you that-" 

"Mom, you didn't say anything wrong! And I'm OK, really! I haven't gone crazy or anything. I was the one who brought up Chara in the first place, because I wanted to tell you…" Frisk gulped, but it was too late to change course now. "…to tell you that they're not gone. Chara is still-" 

"Frisk, _please stop!_ " 

Without letting go, Toriel pulled the child out so she could look at them. Her panic had mostly abated, but her eyes were still full of horror. She was on the verge of crying. "Please, dear, no more! I do not know if something dreadful has happened to you, or if you have somehow become convinced that you must pretend to be Chara for my comfort. But you cannot… you must not… please, Frisk… please…" 

Her voice choked, and as her words trailed off, she pulled Frisk into her anguished embrace. 

Nothing more was said. Toriel held on to Frisk, rubbing their back with intensity and rocking back and forth. Frisk ran through scenarios in their mind, trying desperately to think of what to say. With the turbulence and anguish coming from Chara, it was clear that now was not the time to collaborate. But what could they _do?_ Frisk considered trying to pass the whole thing off as a joke, but immediately dismissed the idea. Not only would it sound like the worst possible joke of all time, it would probably not even calm Toriel's fears over their mental health. But given the state their mother was in, any further discussion about Chara might send her over the edge. What could they _do_ then? How could they fix this? Had Chara been right after all - was this whole thing a gigantic mistake? Maybe they never should have suggested- 

"Mom?" came their muffled voice, to Frisk's surprise. 

Before Toriel could answer, the voice continued. "Mom, do you remember my ninth birthday?" 

Toriel pushed the child out of the folds of her robe again and fixed desperate eyes on them. "Frisk, I beg you-!" 

"I didn't want us to celebrate it. I told you and Dad that it wasn't important, but really, I was afraid. I didn't want everyone to be staring at me and watching me and singing and cheering and all that. But you and Dad insisted. And when you asked me what kind of cake I wanted, I said chocolate cake because I was mad and was trying to get back at you. I knew the only chocolate you had in the house was the candy bar you had given me." 

Toriel's mouth was still open from her unfinished sentence, but no more words came out. She stared at Chara. 

Chara took a ragged breath. "And then, about a week later I was in my room when I heard Dad calling me to come out. And when I came into the dining room, you and Dad and Asriel yelled "Surprise!" and I saw this big banner you had hung up that said 'Happy Birthday, Chara Dreemurr'. And there were a bunch of presents on the table, and a little cake that was absolutely _covered_ in chocolate." 

Toriel might as well have been a statue. Her eyes were the size of saucers. 

Chara sniffed hard and tried to steady their voice. "And when I asked you where you got the chocolate, you and Dad smiled, and Dad held up his finger to his mouth like it was a secret. But Asriel was doing that thing where he would bounce up and down on his toes, and he couldn't stop himself from telling me. He said that Dad had gone to every store in Home and Snowdin and Waterfall to buy every piece of chocolate he could find, and Asriel had even asked Dad to let him use his allowance to buy some from his friends for me. But when Dad told him that he had found enough, he used it to buy a pair of presents instead, that he said were for both of us to share." 

Chara reached up to clutch the locket underneath their shirt. Frisk could feel the turmoil in their friend's mind melting away. Toriel was starting to shake. Her open mouth was quivering, and her eyes were glistening. 

"And then," Chara smiled faintly, "Asriel tried to light the candles but ended up making a fireball that melted all the chocolate off one side of the cake. And then he started crying, but you hugged him and said that the chocolate would taste just as good on a plate. And then you pulled me into the hug, and told me 'happy birthday' again and that you loved me, and... and..." 

Chara lifted their head. Their own eyes were wet. Tears were freely coming down their mother's face. 

"And I think that was the first time I ever said that I loved you too, Mom." 

"It was," Toriel almost whispered. "I cannot tell you how much joy that brought me." She paused and took a great, shuddering breath. "How...? How can this be? Chara… Chara, is it really you?" 

"It's me, Mom. It's me. I'm back." 

For a second, the two children saw astonished, tearful joy break out on their mother's face before they were suddenly buried tight in her arms once again. A mixture of sobbing and crooning came from above them. A huge smile spread over their face, and warmth flooded both of their minds. 

Abruptly they were pulled back out again, and an anxious face looked at them. "And Frisk... what about Frisk? Where are they now?" 

Frisk quickly took over. "I'm still here, Mom!" They patted their chest. "This is me now - Frisk." 

Wonderment came into Toriel's face. "Yes... yes, I feel as though I can see it now. I have thought before that I could see my Chara in you, Frisk, but I never gave it any credence. Just wishful thinking. But now... yes, I think I can see it. And Chara… can you still hear me? May I ask you to speak again? 

Another handoff. "This is me now, Mom - I'm Chara." 

"Yes! Yes, it is you my child! I see both of you now!" A look of delight came into Toriel's eyes. "My children! My dear, precious children. Truly this is a miracle! How can such a thing be possible? How is it that you are in Frisk's body, Chara? How long have the two of you been together?" 

_"Oh boy."_

_"You tell her, Frisk. It's your body."_

_"Nuh-uh. She asked you."_

A short mental argument later, Chara sighed. "Well, that's a really long story, Mom. Can we go back to the living room?" 


	2. Dad

The next few hours flew by. The three of them sat in the living room, as Frisk and Chara took turns explaining their journey together through the Underground and the two years of life they had shared afterwards. The story took forever to tell as Toriel kept interrupting to get more details. She was disappointed that neither child had any explanation for why Chara had woken up once more, much less woken up within Frisk's body. Frisk kept grinning and saying that Chara was haunting them, but eventually stopped when their right hand began to get red from all the pinching. 

The three of them talked nonstop. At first Chara, normally reserved and taciturn, became relaxed and chatty. The tremendous weight they hadn't realized had been there after two years of living in hiding slipped away. Frisk's warmth for them radiated internally and expressed itself in excitement as they told their mother story after story about what the two of them had done together in the Underground and on the surface. 

The only thing that had kept Chara from fully entering into the joy of the reunion was Asriel. 

The first landmine to navigate was fairly easy. Frisk had never fully explained to anyone how the barrier had been destroyed. When asked, they had always just responded with vague answers that, while true, did not really explain anything. Asriel, and his sacrifice, were never mentioned. So when Toriel asked Chara about their own experience during that climactic moment, they equivocated and mumbled something about how they didn't remember everything, but all the power of the Underground must have been enough to overpower the magic of the Barrier. It was entirely uninformative, but mercifully Toriel had so many other questions she didn't dwell on it. 

But it reminded Chara that other, far more difficult conversations about Asriel were sure to come. They knew that eventually, albeit delicately and gently, Toriel would inevitably get around to the very subject she had wept over just minutes earlier - Chara's death. And while Chara might be able to forestall her hesitant inquiries as to _why_ they had taken their own life, the issue would surely rise in importance in her mind. Her joy and wonderment over their reunion would eventually turn to vigilant protectiveness. She would be resolved never to let Chara hurt themselves again. And to do that, she would want to know why, exactly, they had committed suicide. And when she found out... 

Frisk could feel the anxiety building in Chara as the conversation moved into its second hour, even as Toriel continued to happily chatter about something. 

_"Chara? What's wrong?"_

_"Frisk… she's going to ask about Asriel sooner or later."_

_"…Yeah. I've been thinking about that too. Now that you're back, she's going to start wondering whether he could come back too."_

_"What?? Oh my goodness, Frisk, I didn't even think about that!"_ Chara yelped. 

_"What?? What were you thinking about then?"_

_"I was talking about the buttercup plan and the village! She still thinks I killed myself because I thought I wasn't wanted. She doesn't know that I died so that I could send Asriel to the village to get human souls, and that I got him killed! She doesn't know anything about who Flowey is either. But it's only a matter of time before she finds out about all of it!"_

_"Oh!"_

Both children sagged under the weight of each other's discoveries. The effect on their body was sudden, and Toriel stopped her story. 

"My child! I-I mean, my children - is something the matter?" 

"N-no, mom," Chara jumped in. "Sorry, I was just feeling a little tired. You know, finally talking about this secret after hiding it for so long. It's great but it's just worn me out. And… and, uh, I'm a little hungry." 

" _Hungry? We ate breakfast like, an hour ago."_

_"Look, I panicked, OK? You think of something!"_

But Toriel was already looking at the clock and pushing herself up out of her chair. "Oh, of course my dears, I had not realized that you must be twice as hungry as a normal human child!" Chara blinked, and Frisk radiated confusion, but with their mother heading off to the kitchen and the crisis averted for now, neither child bothered to correct her. Besides, lunchtime would give them a chance to relax, settle themselves, and prepare for Phase Two. 

As part of the plan they had made weeks earlier, Frisk and Chara had intended to tell both their mother and father on the same day. Chara had not wanted to drag it out any longer than necessary, and the two of them had briefly tried to decide whether it would be best to get Toriel and Asgore together so Chara could reveal their presence to both of them. The still-frosty relationship between Toriel to Asgore added complications, though, and neither child could predict whether their reactions would be rapturous joy, or shock that might result in uncomfortable questions. And that could lead to bitter memories, then angry words and recriminations that would be all the more terrible coming from two shocked, confused, and overwrought boss monsters. 

Chara hadn't been happy with the plan to deal with two emotional parents separately, but the fear of making Toriel's and Asgore's relationship even more strained was definitely worse. So eventually, the two of them had decided to start with Toriel in the morning, then ask to be taken over to Asgore's house afterwards. As shaky as the morning had been, the afternoon plan was still on track. Following lunch, Frisk had given Asgore a call to ask whether they could come over for a while to visit and maybe do some more gardening, and had given Toriel a thumbs-up as they listened to his response. 

Toriel had been deeply ambivalent about the plan, however, and It had taken a bit of time to convince her to let them go. At first the children couldn't understand the vague reasons she gave for her reluctance, but after a while it became clear that her motherly protectiveness, now enfolding Chara again, as well as her mistrust of Asgore (which was entirely unfounded, both children agreed) was filling her with worry about what would happen once he learned the truth. But years of living with Toriel had taught both children how to break the soft barriers she raised with just the right words of reassurance, confidence, and promises that yes, they would call her _immediately_ if anything was wrong, and that they would be waiting for her on the front steps _exactly_ two hours after she dropped them off. 

Unfortunately for the children, Toriel's joy did not provide sufficient distraction to make her forget about their schoolwork. The two of them were required to spend a couple of hours after lunch on homework before she would take them to visit their father, and for a few panic-stricken minutes Frisk had to convince her that allowing Chara to help with schoolwork wasn't cheating. Eventually she acquiesced, and Frisk let out a sigh of relief as she walked away. 

_"Would you have still wanted me to reveal myself, Frisk, if Mom had said I wasn't allowed to correct your math mistakes during a test?_

_"…lemme think about that."_

* * *

A few hours later, Frisk and Chara were bumping on the front seat of Toriel's Chevy Suburban as they drove to Asgore's house. The vehicle was ridiculously large for just Toriel and Frisk, but it was one of the few that had enough headroom for her to sit up straight. The fact that she was driving at all was just one more minor miracle that had occurred in the months after their descent from Mount Ebott. Even after the initial astonishment and whirlwind of activity that took place between monster and human representatives, there were so many minor details that had to be worked out. Issuing driving licenses to monsters who didn't have citizenship, didn't have IDs, and sometimes didn't have arms was one such issue. So when Toriel had received a letter from her local DMV politely (even obsequiously) inviting her to stop by any time to apply for a license, she had pursed her lips and frowned at the paper. It didn't take a genius to figure out which monster had enough influence with the state government to get her that level of obeisance. She hadn't thrown the letter away, though. 

Now, as Toriel hummed along to the classical radio station, Frisk and Chara made plans. 

_"First of all, you do the steering since you like gardening, even though it's the most boring thing in the world,"_ Frisk said. 

_"You are still superfast at being wrong, Frisk. You've tried it, what, exactly one time now?"_

_"Once was enough. I don't have to hit my head with a brick to know that it hurts."_

_"Fine, you poltroon. So what are we going to say to him?"_

_"Maybe this time you should just tell him right away,"_ Frisk suggested. _"'Greetings, Dad, it's me, Chara.' He already suspects you're with me anyway."_

_"Frisk… no. That is still not a good plan. Dad does not handle shocking news well. I think it would be best to warm him up to the idea again. Let's work with him, get him in a good mood, have some small talk, and then tell him._

_"Is that just an excuse to garden for an hour?"_

_"…mayyyybe…"_

Frisk gave an exaggerated sigh. _"Chara…"_

_"I am only kidding. But really, I think we need to take this slowly, and give him time to prepare."_

_"Ok, fine."_ There was a moment of grumpy silence. _"But what are we going to say to him?"_

"Children, what are you going to say to Asgore?" 

Both children jerked. It was a new sensation, being addressed as a plural unit, and having someone else share their secret. 

"Um," said Frisk, "we're still working that out." 

"Well, my advice to you would be to speak casually and circuitously for some time with him. Talk about his garden, or about his diplomatic work, or school, or anything like that. Wait for a moment when he is relaxed. You don't want to shock him into any sort of hysterical reaction that will only make things more difficult." 

The fact that Toriel seemed to have completely forgotten about her own hysteria didn't escape the notice of either child, but they wisely kept their mouth shut. 

They arrived a few minutes later. As they stood outside the house and waved goodbye to Toriel, Chara took a deep breath. Frisk could tell from their mental turmoil that they were struggling, even if it hadn't been obvious from their shaking hand. 

" _Hey, do you want me to do the first part?"_ Frisk asked gently. _"It's OK - I can do the gardening if you want to just wait until the big moment."_

To their credit, Chara didn't hesitate. _"No - I appreciate the offer, but I will be fine. If anything, this ought to be easier than this morning. Mom is worried about Dad, but if there was going to be a hysterical reaction from anyone today, it's pretty clear which of our parents would freak out more."_

Frisk laughed inside their head. _"Yeah, if we can talk down mom, we can handle anybody at this point. Well, except maybe Alphys. She might go all weird on us. And Papyrus' jawbone might actually hit the floor once he finds out. Annnnd Undyne might literally explode whatever room she's in when we talk to her. Come to think of it, how are we going to tell them? _

_"One person at a time, Frisk! It's far more likely that I will collapse entirely long before we reach that point. Let's just talk to Dad and call it a day."_ Chara sighed. _"An incredibly long day."_

_"Yeah, even though it's only 4:00. And don't forget, try not to do your gardening too well, since you're technically me, and my gardening skills are at LV 1."_

_"Looks like you haven't gained any LOVE, despite your murdering all the plants Dad has sent us."_ Chara teased. 

_"Hey, I watered them! And Mom didn't know how to take care of them any better."_

_"Excuses, excuses. But don't worry, Frisk, my gardening performance with my right hand will look just like your normal horticultural ineptitude."_

_"Just for that, I'm going to be singing "Old MacDonald" the entire time while you're working."_

_"That is a farm song, Frisk. It has nothing to do with gardening." _

_"Maybe 'Baby Shark' too. Do you know that one? 'Baby Shark doo doooooo doo doooo doo dooo, Baby Shark doo doooooo...'"_

Suddenly, knocking on the door became much easier. 

"Hello, Frisk!" came the warm, booming voice. And just like that, all the emotions came flooding back to Chara as they looked up at the immense monster that they had once called "Dad", smiling down at them. Guilt, regret, anticipation, dread, fear of what was about to happen. Frisk sensed it all immediately, but before they could offer more than a flash of encouragement, Chara answered. 

"Hi, D-Dad. Thanks for letting me come over again." 

They held out their arms wide. Asgore knelt down and pulled them into a hug. There was an earthy smell to him that was so very, very familiar. Chara squeezed as much of him as they could get their arms around. Frisk radiated warmth and love for both of them. 

_"Doing fine so far, Chara."_

"It is wonderful to see you again, young one. Truthfully, I am amazed that you wish to come out to the greenhouse again, but I am delighted to oblige. I have been working with the vegetable section today, and if you would like, I could use your help in getting the tomato plants staked and pruned." 

Chara nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds great!" 

A smile broke over Asgore's face and his eyes crinkled in delight. "Excellent! I will fetch your gloves and some tools. If you would like to bring in the stakes, they are just outside the door." He gestured towards the greenhouse, "I will meet you there in just a moment. The vegetables are at the far end on the left." 

At the door, Chara found a pile of long wooden rods and a half-dozen round tomato cages. It took a couple of trips, but eventually the whole collection was moved to the back of the greenhouse, where an empty patch of rich soil sat next to a few ten-inch tomato plants already in the ground. 

"Ah, I'm glad you figured out what to bring, Frisk," said Asgore when he rejoined them a few minutes later. He handed Chara a pair of gloves and a trowel. "I realized that I hadn't made it clear that we would need both the wooden stakes and the cages. But it looks like you got everything." 

_"Oops,"_ Chara whispered internally. _"Sorry, I must remember to act in a way that fits with your colossal ignorance."_

_"Baby Shark, doo doooooo doo doooo doo dooo..."_

_"I don't remember that song sounding quite so sarcastic."_

Frisk's musical narrative of the shark family was short-lived however, as they listened (with interest, to their surprise) to Asgore as he explained how the staking worked. The tomato cages were for the plants that Asgore expected to grow large and wide, and would be carefully inserted into the earth around the young plants already in place. The stakes would be used for plants that would be pruned frequently in order to produce tall, slender stalks that would grow larger tomatoes. Asgore showed them how to carefully dig a spot for the seedlings and place them the correct distance from each other. Nearby, where a set of mature plants were staked, he showed how the suckers near the base could be trimmed in order to not overtax the plant and encourage it to grow more fruit. 

Once Asgore was satisfied they could handle the tasks, he moved down to an adjacent bed to check on the cucumber plants creeping on the ground and growing up the trellises. As Chara settled into the rhythm of digging, planting, and staking, Asgore whistled to himself happily. 

_"Hey, now seems like a good time to get started,"_ Frisk said. _"Are you ready?"_

There was a slight tremble in their body. But a moment later Chara replied, _"Yes, this is probably as good a time as any. If you have any great ideas about how to steer the conversation, I would happy to hear them."_

_"Well, how about we start with gardening? It's a natural connection between you two."_

_"That seems reasonable._ " Aloud, Chara said "So, um, Dad… how long have you been gardening?" 

Asgore's back was to them as he knelt among the vines, but he turned his head slightly. "Oh, a very long time indeed, Frisk. You remember what my throne room looked like, right? And that was just one section of the New Home Gardens. I've had this hobby for well over a century now. But of course, the variety of things we could grow underground, with limited sunlight and almost no access to seeds from the surface world, was very small. I've had to relearn a great deal about how to tend a garden in the last couple of years." 

Chara carefully wrapped a Velcro tie around the stalk of a tomato plant, supporting it against the ring of the tomato cage. "Was that something that everyone in the family did?" they asked. 

_"Good segue."_

_"Shhh."_

Asgore's movements slowed for a moment, and the children could see his head dip just a bit. "No," he said after a moment, resuming his work. "No, it was never something that interested Toriel that much. Her genius was with cooking, and although she kindly helped me out with the work, it never really captured her fancy. Asriel loved the flowers, but he was more apt to accidentally trample them than to properly care for them." He chuckled quietly. "Just a bit young for serious gardening, I think. Though he did try. Especially when Chara was out there working." 

Chara swallowed and managed to keep their tone conversational. "Oh, did Chara like gardening as well?" 

"Oh yes," said the king. His voice had taken on a wistful tone. "Yes, Chara took to the plants with great zeal. They wanted to learn everything possible about gardening. I taught them all I could, and they read everything they could find in our meagre library about horticulture. Sometimes Chara and Asriel would be out in the garden for hours." Again, the king chuckled. "When I would look out the window, it would not be unusual to see that Asriel had lost interest and was chasing after bugs instead. But Chara would work non-stop. They especially loved the golden flowers." He gestured to a patch of them growing farther down in the greenhouse. "They planted patches of them all around Home, wherever they could find a crack of sunlight. They would fill vases with them everywhere in the house, and draw pictures of them, make little bouquets of them for Toriel and Asriel and I… they really loved them." 

Asgore's words trailed off. He appeared to be lost in thought. 

_"Got any ideas what we can say next, Frisk?"_

But before Frisk could answer, the old monster spoke again, this time more slowly. "In fact, I think gardening did Chara a great deal of good. I think it kept away…" 

He fell silent again. Chara, trowel in hand, sat motionless with their partner. 

"… it kept away the darkness and pain that seemed to follow them so relentlessly." 

"What do you mean, Dad?" Chara asked after a moment. 

The king turned his head and sat back on his heels with a sigh. "Oh, I am sorry, Frisk, you were asking me about gardening, and here I am brooding over dark memories from long ago. Please forgive me. As far as gardening goes, I have-" 

"No, it's OK, Dad - really. If it's OK… I'd like to hear more about what Chara was like." 

"Oh." The king straightened his back in a stretch and reached down to get a drink from a water bottle beside him. "Well, I am sure Toriel has told you about Chara, and how it was they came to live with us in the Underground?" 

Wordlessly, Chara gave a small nod. 

"Well, in truth I loved Chara as my own child. I remember the day Asriel brought them to the house, bruised and broken. Toriel healed the worst of their injuries, and we took them into our home while they recovered. I don't think either Toriel or I initially planned for them to stay as long as they did - truly, we had no clue what to do with this human child who could no longer return home. We explained to them as gently as we could that they were trapped with us, and it surprised us greatly that they seemed not to care. If anything, Chara appeared happy with the news. And by the time it became apparent that some permanent arrangement had to be made for the child, Asriel had already apparently made the decision for us." 

The furry monster smiled as his eyes stared off distantly. "Within a few days he was already beginning to introduce Chara as his sibling. I think that surprised Chara as much as it did us! We tried to temper his enthusiasm at first, but Asriel simply could not stop thinking of Chara that way. And the funny thing is, Chara never corrected him or tried to stop him. Before long we had an extra bed put into Asriel's room for them, and not long after that Toriel decided that Chara needed to have a formal education along with Asriel, and… well, it wasn't even a year after that that Chara became 'Chara Dreemurr'. The ceremony we had only formalized what had been obvious for months - Chara was as much our child as Asriel was." 

"Even though they had a human soul you could have taken to pass through the barrier?" Chara blurted out. 

Instantly, they regretted it. The shocked look on Asgore's face cut them to the heart, and they felt their face starting to burn. They could feel the sudden horror from Frisk as well. _Chara, you idiot!_ they mentally kicked themselves. 

"I mean… I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have said that. That was a terrible thing to say. I'm really sorry." 

A look of deep sadness replaced the shock on Asgore's face, but he gave a small wave of his hand to deflect Chara's apology. "No, Frisk, I understand why you would ask such a thing. I showed no pity to other human children who fell into my kingdom. Why should I have spared this one?" 

_"I'm sorry, Frisk, that was stupid! I don't know why I said that."_

Frisk said nothing, but their presence was comforting. 

"And I have no answer for that," Asgore continued. "But it is those other children that I sinned against, not Chara. I should have seen them the same way I did my dear Chara. My greatest crime was that I suppressed in myself the compassion that they deserved. I thought I was doing my duty. I convinced myself that the needs of my people justified spilling innocent blood. As if murdering children was _my duty_." 

Those last words were a bitter whisper. The old monster looked up, his face miserable. 

"I can only swear to you, Frisk, that back in those happier times I would have sooner plunged a dagger into my own chest than take the soul of my dear child. I… I do not know if you can believe that, seeing me as you did, surrounded by the innocent souls of the children I had killed, prepared to… attack you as well. But it was true. I loved Chara. All of us did. And I believe that Chara felt safe with us. 

_"I… I did, Frisk. Even after I found out what my soul could be used for, I never once thought that Mom or Dad would ever hurt me. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't take my soul, but I was absolutely sure they would never do it." _

Asgore sighed heavily, and with an effort pulled himself together. "But Chara had some heavy burdens on them that we could not fully understand. The darkness that weighed so heavily on them was something no child should have to bear up under, and although we tried, there was very little we could do to bring light to them. I think gardening helped Chara. I think Asriel helped too, though Chara found his attention and excitement a bit overbearing at times. Asriel was nothing if not enthusiastic." Asgore gave a sniffle. "But in spite of that, the two of them were the best of friends. Always together. Always-" 

The former king fell silent again, mindlessly cradling the trowel in his paws. He turned after a moment to look at the children again. 

"Frisk, I do not want to presume, but has Toriel told you about Chara's and Asriel's passing? How they were lost to us?" 

Chara felt a lump coming into their throat. Unbidden, their right hand put down the trowel and reached over to rub the fingers of their left. 

"Mom has told me about the… illness, yes. And about what happened to Asriel." 

"Ah, yes… the _illness_." There was a slight but unmistakable emphasis on the last word. The boss monster looked closely at them. For a moment, both children simply stared back at their father. Then Chara dropped their gaze. 

"Yes, I see." Asgore nodded and let his own head droop. 

When Chara looked back up, the monster's eyes appeared to be glistening before he turned away, leaning back over the cucumber vines. "Your mother has no doubt shared with you what she and I both came to believe - that it was not an illness at all. Not the normal kind of human illness, anyway. It was an illness of the mind that took our Chara from us, and brought about Asriel's death as well. Chara was tormented, so _tormented_ all the time, and the demon that chased them into the Underground eventually poisoned them and killed them." 

The sniffling coming from the slumped monster grew louder. From the back, Asgore looked small and pitiful as he slumped over. "I failed them, Frisk. I was their father, and I was the king. It was my duty twice over to protect them, and I utterly failed to do so. In time perhaps I could have found a way to defeat the demon, but I did not act quickly enough. And all the terrible things that happened afterwards, Frisk - all the things that you yourself saw - all the many times I failed to protect the weak and helpless, when I used my strength and authority for great harm rather than good - they all stem back to my one great failure to save Chara." 

"Dad!" Chara choked out, and Frisk wordlessly encouraged them on. "Dad, you didn't fail Chara. You did… I'm sure you did everything you could for them. You and Mom and Asriel were good to them. It wasn't your fault that they hated themselves and put themselves beyond rescue. I know-I'm sure you loved them, and I'm sure you tried your best. No one could have helped them! 

The king reached up to wipe his eye, still with his back to them. "Thank you, Frisk. You are very kind to say that. I wish you could have known Chara. I think you may have been able to speak to them in a way that we monsters could not. I think your determination to befriend and help everyone you meet would have made a great difference in their life. 

Chara's breath shuddered. _"Frisk, I was so messed up down there, I don't know if even you could have helped me, but... thank you. Thank you for being here now."_

_"Oh, Chara."_

Chara could feel Frisk's warm, red soul pulsing, and the love washing over them. 

"Dad," Chara managed to say out loud, "I know it's not really the same, but... I wanted to tell you… that I love you." 

The king turned his head again, and this time his tears were clearly visible. 

"I'm sorry for what happened to Chara and to Asriel, and that you had to see them die, and that you were trapped down there for so long, but… I'm glad you're out now, and I'm glad that you're my dad now, and that we can do stuff like this together. And maybe things will be better. I know… your family can never go back to what it was like before, but I'm glad you and Mom are here now, and that I can be with you. You're… you're a great dad." 

_"Go over there and hug him, Chara!"_

Chara didn't move. Their own eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Asgore looked at them a little longer, then gave a sad smile. 

"Thank you, my child. Thank you for giving this old monster another chance to have a child at all. It is the last thing I deserve, but I treasure you greatly, dear one." 

_"C'mon, Chara, go! Hug him!"_

Chara's lips trembled. "And Dad, I think if Chara were here, they would tell you that what happened to them was not because you failed them. I think they would tell you that you did everything you could. I think they were proud to be your child. I think Chara loved you too." 

Asgore lowered his head again. For a moment he sat there, back on his heels, bowed down, apparently lost in thought. Then with a sudden motion, he picked up the water bottle next to him, and threw it at Chara. 

"Catch!" he commanded sharply. 

The children gasped. The bottle sailed end-over-end towards them, and Chara just managed to catch it before it smacked them in the head. Confusion rippled in both of their minds as they looked at the bottle, then back up at Asgore. To their amazement, his face had transformed. His eyes, still dripping tears, were now wide open and his eyebrows had shot up. His mouth had fallen open but was even now broadening into an astonished smile. Uncomprehendingly the children stared back. Then Chara's own eyes widened, and they snapped their head down to look at the water bottle, tightly gripped in their hand. 

Their left hand. 

"It is you, isn't it?" Asgore stumbled as he tried to get back to his feet. "It is really true, is it not? Am I seeing you?" He stepped slowly over to them, an arm reaching tentative out towards Frisk and Chara. "My child! Please tell me truly, is… is that you? Is that really you there?" 

Chara could feel Frisk's shock giving way to exuberance inside them. They dropped the bottle as both left and right hands grabbed each other. "Y-yes, Dad. It's me. I'm here." 

With a cry, Asgore rushed forward and flung himself down in front of them, folding them into his strong arms. "Chara! Chara! I knew it was you, I knew it was you!" he sobbed. "You have returned! Frisk has found a way to bring you back to me! Oh, Chara! Oh, my dear child, you are back!" 

Chara's heart felt like it would burst. Both children melted into the king's embrace and wept. Ridiculously some small part of Chara's mind made sure their feet weren't crushing any of the newly-planted tomato vines behind them, which only made them laugh and cry all the harder. Inside their head, Frisk was bouncing off the walls. 

The three of them remained there, weeping for several minutes. Asgore massive paws gently caressed their head, shoulders and back as the three of them knelt in the dirt together, rocking gently. After some time, he let them go and smiled down at them. 

"Oh, my child, it is so clearly you there. I did not want to believe what my eyes kept telling me. Have you been there for years and I was too foolish to see you before now?" 

"No, Dad. I-I mean, yes, I have been with Frisk ever since they came to the Underground, but I haven't had control of their body until just recently." 

A look of dismay crossed Asgore's face. "You... you have taken control of Frisk?" 

"No! I mean, well, sort of, but Frisk is OK with it. We're just taking turns sharing their body now. Frisk is still in my head and… ugh! Hang on, Dad." 

Their face went blank momentarily. Then, 

"Hi, Dad, it's me, Frisk. This is me now." 

The anxiety in Asgore's face was replaced with astonishment. "I would not have believed it if I could not see it with my own eyes. And yet it is most certainly you, Frisk! How...? How is this possible? How can the two of you be there at the same time?" 

From there the conversation became much easier for both children, as they answered the same questions that Toriel had asked earlier in the day. Frisk, satisfied that Asgore was comfortable with Chara borrowing their body, allowed Chara to do the catching-up with their father. As the greenhouse filled with orange light and the shadows from the tomato stakes began to grow long, Asgore stood up and invited them back to the house where they could sit more comfortably. 

It was there, as the three of them enjoyed glasses of iced tea at the table, that Asgore dropped the question Chara had hoped to avoid. 

"Chara and Frisk, I know that you may not be able to answer this. Or it may be that the answer is too painful and you wish to spare me. If that is the case, please, do not fear to simply tell me the truth. But I never expected to see you again, Chara, and today I have witnessed a miracle." He looked at them, hope sparking in his eyes. "Is it possible...? Do either of you know... whether Asriel..." The last word came out almost as a whisper, and the king trailed off. 

Chara bit their lip, and put down their glass before the king could notice the tremble in their hand. 

"I'm sorry, Dad. Asriel is dead. He's really gone." 

Shock came from the other mind inside their head. The old monster's face fell, and he took a shuddering breath. His eyes started to glisten, but a moment later he managed a weak smile. 

"Thank you for telling me. Before today, entertaining such a hope would have been madness. I should not act as if that has changed because of what you and Frisk were able to do. I miss my son deeply, as I am sure that you do too, Chara. But nothing has changed with his story. What _has_ changed is that one of my children who was lost has been found again. And that is the most important thing." This time Asgore's smile was genuine. 

"T-thanks dad. And I'm really sorry. I miss Asriel too. I-I'm really sorry… I'm sorry about what happened to-" Guilt started to wash over Chara. 

Frisk's own confusion was still evident, but they were there immediately. _"Chara, you don't have to do this now. It can wait - don't do it all today. We'll get ready for it together, you and me, and we'll all talk about it together when the time is right."_

Chara silently glowed a thank-you back to their friend. Aloud, they said "I have some things I'd like to tell you and Mom about Asriel sometime. I'm just... not ready to do it today." 

Asgore nodded and reached over to put a paw over Chara's hand, still trembling on the table. "I understand. We have all the time we need now. I am sorry I distressed you - please, do not spend any more time thinking about it. Why not tell me how it is with your mother? Have you and Frisk enjoyed being with her these last few years? 

On that happier topic, Chara (and occasionally Frisk) talked for a long time, telling story after story as Asgore listened quietly with a wistful smile on his face. It was ironic that all the happy talk about Toriel caused the children to forget the most time-sensitive fact about their mother, only remembering when a sharp knock at the front door caused them all to jump. Chara ran to open the door, and found a perturbed, unsmiling boss monster glaring down at them. Chara's chagrin didn't reach their shining eyes, however, and Toriel reluctantly allowed herself to be led into the house. Her demeanor softened somewhat as her child (Chara, she noticed) began to tell her about all the events of the afternoon, forestalling any efforts on her part to say a quick goodbye to Asgore and be off. And as Chara continued to talk and gesture at Asgore, it felt only polite to take the chair at the kitchen table he offered her. And as the warmth and excitement of the morning came back to her, and she saw the same joy reflected in the eyes of Asgore, she softened even further. Agreeing to Asgore's tentative invitation to stay for dinner was harder, but Chara seemed so enthusiastic that she felt she could hardly say "no". One dinner together would not be so bad, surely. 

As Asgore hurried off to pull a semblance of a meal together, nobody could tell that the child who clapped their hands once was really two children giving each other a high-five. 


	3. Others

The humidity of the late July evening felt like someone had thrown a steaming wet blanket over their head, but at least the breeze had picked up, making the walk home tolerable for Chara and Frisk. As dinner had come to an end, and the conversation (which had been much less awkward than the children had feared) had begun to die down, Frisk had picked up on something unexpected: Toriel and Asgore seemed to want to talk a little longer in private. After silently conferring with their partner, Chara had asked and received permission for the two of them to walk home. 

Now, as they slowly made the thirty-minute walk back to Toriel's house, both children felt weary. The adrenaline rush, followed by the crash afterwards affected them equally, and although it wasn't even 9:00 yet, both of them were ready for bed. As they walked, Chara could feel a flicker of unease from their friend. Something appeared to be bothering them. But when Frisk reached out, none of that was present. 

_"This was a great day, Chara. I'm really proud of you. You did it!"_

Chara glowed. _"You had a big part in it. Thank you for everything you did to make it happen."_

_"I barely did anything! You figured out the way to convince Mom, and you showed yourself to Dad in the perfect way!"_

Chara chuckled out loud at that. _"Dad's a lot more perceptive than most people realize. You don't get to be a good king without learning to be observant. I think he technically gets credit for that."_

_"But I'm still proud of you, Chara. I know it was really hard, but you did it!"_

Chara didn't reply right away. When they did, there was a note of gloom in their words. 

_"I did part of it, at least."_

_"What do you mean?"_ Frisk asked. 

_"We've only just started with the revelations. What we accomplished today may not have even been the most difficult part."_

_"Yeah, but Mom and Dad were the hardest ones, right? Everyone else should be easier."_

_"That's not what I meant, Frisk. I mean that we still… you have got to be kidding me!" _

Frisk hadn't been processing what their shared eyes were focused on, so it took them a moment to register what Chara was now staring at. Just up ahead on the side of the road stood a wooden vendor stand, thrown together haphazardly. The display area was covered with several small stacks of what appeared to be clothing, which the sign above helpfully identified as "T-SHIR". The author had apparently run out room on the cardboard sign, so a "T" and an "S" had been added vertically below the last letter. More piles of T-shirts lay on the grass next to the stand, and one folded shirt was inexplicably sitting on the roof of the stand itself. The vendor sat in a metal folding chair with his feet on the desk, reading a magazine. There was no lamp - the magazine appeared to be illuminated solely by the light coming from its owner's eye sockets. 

The children stared for a moment longer. Frisk bubbled in amusement. 

_"Feel like one last conversation before the night is over? This one should be easy."_

_"I don't think I have the energy to go through it again, Frisk."_

_"Lucky for us, we have the least energetic monster on the surface right here."_

Chara sighed, but since the sidewalk that led home passed right by the stand, they didn't have much choice. Besides, although Chara wouldn't admit it (and not that Frisk didn't already know), their curiosity and amusement at the monster's antics wouldn't make the diversion wholly uninteresting. They trudged forward. Sans gave them a wink as they approached. 

"hey, if it isn't my favorite furless dreemurr. how's it going, kid?" 

"Sans," Chara asked, "why in the world are you selling T-shirts on a residential street at 9:00 at night?" 

"well, y'know, i figured all my competitors would be closed by now. you're looking at the only boutique of fine apparel that offers convenient after-hours shopping. can i interest you in something from our autumn line?" 

Chara picked up a green shirt from the closest stack. "Boston Celtics, 1987 NBA Champions?" The shirt had a silk-screened image of the team celebrating. They put it aside and picked up the next one, a dark brick-red shirt. Small, olive-green letters spelled out the words "visit beautiful hawaii" in lower case. There were no pictures on either side of the shirt. Chara flipped it around twice in disbelief to be sure. 

"Sans, these shirts are terrible! Who's going to buy any of these?" 

Sans hand flew to his chest as he let out a pained gasp. "wow, kiddo, that was some attack. i _shirt_ didn't expect that from you. think you mighta gained some exp from that." His grin didn't waver. 

Chara ignored him. They were already holding up a bright magenta shirt and staring at the words on its back. Their brow furrowed as they flipped it around. 

"Sans, I'm not sure what's more confusing - that this appears to be a _button-up_ T-shirt, or that it says 'The Forbidden Rhombus' on the back." 

_"Nice color, though!"_

_"You buy this shirt, Frisk, and so help me, I will set it on fire."_

"not feeling too adventurous?" Sans winked. "no worries. plenty of other fine choices. like this sweet number." 

The skeleton handed them a wrinkled lime-green shirt that read "I'm With Stupid", with an arrow pointing straight up. Chara's mouth hung open. "Sans, that is not how the joke…" They stared for a moment longer in disbelief. "Who in the _world_ is going to want this?" 

"what? are you serious? my supplier told me these were all the rage this year. and to think i spent 10000 g on this franchise. how am i going to be able to retire now?" 

"You spent 10000 G on this??" Chara stared at Sans, who shrugged. They pulled out another one with pictures on it. "North Carolina: Gateway to Virginia"? Chara pointed to the state that filled the shirt. "This is a picture of Florida! And why it decorated with corn?" 

Sans scratched his skull. "maybe that explains why business has been a little slow. i haven't sold anything all day." 

Before Chara could point out that they were quite sure the T-shirt stand hadn't even been there when they rode over to Asgore's earlier, Sans snapped his finger bones and pointed a finger gun at them. "which is why I need to do more advertising. you could help me out, kiddo. here, why don't you take this one?" He reached up and pulled the shirt off the roof of the stand, winking at them. "it's on the house." 

Chara rolled their eyes hard. 

_"Knock it off, Frisk. That wasn't funny at all."_

_"Sorry!"_ their friend said, after they managed to stop giggling. 

"here, why don't you try it on?" Sans offered. 

Before Chara could respond, Sans reached over and put the T-shirt over their head. The whole shirt, including the collar, passed over their entire body and landed in a heap on the ground, looking like a small crumpled tent around their shoes. Chara stepped out of the shirt ring and picked it up by the collar to look at the tag. 

"Sans, this is a 9XL shirt! Who even wears something this huge?" With difficulty they spread out the front of the shirt so they could see it better. On the front was a giant image of a man wearing a floppy hat and a ridiculously long scarf, grinning widely. 

"'Tom Baker is my Doctor?' What does that even _mean?"_

"doesn't ring a bell? huh. i'd have thought that'd be right up your alley, for an unearthly child like you." Sans gave them another incomprehensible wink. Both children parsed the sentence as hard as they could for puns, but eventually Chara shrugged and handed the shirt back to the skeleton. "Sorry, Sans. Got no idea what you're talking about." 

"hey, don't feel bad kid. guess there's about sixty years between that reference and your time. plus or minus," he added, with another inscrutable wink. "no problem, though." He bent down and picked up another shirt off the ground, this one much more likely to fit a child. "i've pretty much got my advertising all covered." 

Chara took the navy blue shirt Sans handed them and spread it out on the stand. In the corner was Sans' grinning face. Underneath it, in a speech bubble, were the words "What does a skeleton use to cover his roof?" 

_"Heard that one before"_ , said Frisk. 

Chara flipped over the shirt. The picture of Sans' grinning face was now winking. Chara slowly read the speech bubble aloud. "Lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminum roofing installed by A. J. McElhaney and Sons. Call for a free estimate." They lifted their head and stared at the skeleton. 

_"Um... I take it back."_

Sans pointed at them. "that one's free, kiddo. wear it with pride and soon i'll be getting a cut of all the roofing action in town." 

Chara looked down at the shirt again. They pointed at the address and phone number below the advertisement. "Sans, unless I wear this shirt in Winnipeg, which is where this roofing company _is actually located_ , I don't think you're going to be making much money from your business partner." 

"whoops. guess i should have read the paperwork a little more carefully. that's a real kick in the _shin-_ gles, isn't it?" 

_"Ah, there it is!"_ Frisk said brightly. 

Chara folded the shirt back up and tucked it under their arm. "Well, regardless, thank you for the free shirt, Sans. I will think of you every time I wear it." They didn't have to check with Frisk to know that it would be stuffed it into the back of the middle drawer immediately. "Well! I am sure you have other customers to attend to," Chara gestured at the empty street. "So I will leave you to it." 

The skeleton lifted his hand in a small wave, the grin still on his face. 

"Goodnight." Chara turned and resumed walking down the sidewalk. 

"hey guys?" 

Chara froze. So did Frisk. For a moment both children stood there, motionless and silent. Then Chara felt the laughter burst out from their friend. As Frisk's amusement washed over them, Chara chuckled back silently a moment later. A small smile appeared on their face as they turned around. 

"Yes?" 

Sans's grin grew even wider, and his eye sockets crinkled a bit. "ah, nothing I guess. never mind. just good to see you there, kiddo. say hi to your folks for me." 

Chara returned the grin. "We will. Goodnight, Sans." With another wave, Sans settled back into his chair with his magazine, and the children set off home. 

* * *

Toriel had passed them on the street with a toot of her horn and a wave a few blocks before they had arrived home. Their bed was calling them as they came into the house, but since Asgore had apologetically been unable to offer them dessert, and since Toriel was sitting at the kitchen table beaming, with a key lime pie out and three plates, they decided sleep could wait just a little longer. Correcting Toriel on how many desserts they needed could _definitely_ wait. 

Now, as the two of them swung gently on the porch swing, Chara put the remains of the second plate of pie on the glass table next to them and stretched with a sigh. 

_"Well, that was a satisfying day. Not exactly how I pictured it, but given that I expected everything to end in disaster and tears, I cannot say I'm disappointed."_

_"Yeah."_

_"And as promised, you'll be getting your body back tomorrow. No loose ends to tie up. Mom will probably have more questions, I daresay, but I can step in whenever you need, and then step right back out again._

_"Uh-huh. Sounds good."_

_"We should probably explain the schedule to her, so she'll know who to expect on what day. But speaking of which, you should really get the next two days, if not three. That's only fair. I can wait until Tuesday to take another turn if you would prefer._

_"Mmhmm."_

Chara stopped swinging. _"Frisk, what is wrong?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"You are being unusually quiet. Something is bothering you, I can tell."_ The waves of uneasiness coming from their partner confirmed Chara's suspicion. _"Come on - out with it."_

_"Chara… why did you tell Dad that Asriel was dead?"_

A moment passed. Then another. The swing started rocking again. The sounds of a summer night filled the air, the high-pitched chirps of crickets and the low, rhythmic sound of katydids. Nearby, a rabbit hopped through the yard, stopping to munch on clover. A soft breeze blew through the trees, gently ringing the windchimes hung by the door. A rustling sound could be heard under the bushes by the porch. 

_"Because he is dead, Frisk."_

The satisfied, relaxed tone that had been there just a moment ago was gone. Now Chara's voice was weary and despondent. 

_"I-I don't understand."_

_"Asriel is gone, Frisk. When his soul shattered and his body crumbled away, that was the end of him. It doesn't matter how much determination you add to the mix. No monster gets to come back from that._

" _But, Chara,"_ Frisk's voice took on a pleading tone, _"he's not gone! You called Flowey "Asriel" yourself in that note you left him!"_

_"That was a foolish, sentimental mistake."_ There was a bitter firmness to Chara's tone. _"When I thought about writing to him, what I would say to him, what might happen as a result if I was to reveal myself to him, I-"_

Chara stopped. Another moment passed before they continued, this time with rising anguish. 

_"I allowed myself to believe that I could see my brother once more. That was an irrational, and frankly idiotic thought that I never should have entertained. He is gone, Frisk. What happened to him - what I did to him - can never be reversed." _

_"Chara…"_ Alarm began to creep into Frisk's voice, but Chara continued more forcefully. 

_"Flowey is not Asriel, no matter what I wrote. He is nothing more than a simulacrum of my brother, a vessel that contains Asriel's memories, and nothing else. He is an artificial intelligence created in a lab and embedded in a golden flower. Everything that made Asriel "Asriel" is gone. His kindness, his goodness, his compassion, his gentle spirit, his joy - THAT is who Asriel was, Frisk. THAT is who my brother and best friend was. And he is DEAD."_

Chara gave a small sobbing gasp as they choked on their words. Frisk spoke again, more desperately. 

_"Chara, that's not-"_

_"And who did it, Frisk?? Who killed him? Who killed the best, sweetest, most innocent, most wonderful monster in the whole Underground? I did! I murdered him, Frisk!"_

Frisk could barely interpret the words coming from their friend, so wrapped as they were in rolling waves of guilt and self-loathing. 

_"I murdered him as surely as if I had plunged the knife into him myself. What are Mom and Dad going to say when I tell them that? What are they going to say when they find out that I sent Asriel, their beloved son, to die at the hands of humans? He didn't want to go - he never wanted anything to do with the plan - but I forced him! Their "dear human child" was the one who killed their actual child, their real child."_

_"Chara, please stop!"_ But Chara's frenzied mind was in no state to listen. 

_"How are they even going to punish me? Are they going to tell me to never speak to them again? Are they going to tell you to never let me out? Or are they just going to see me whenever they look at you, and hate you instead?"_ Chara gave a hysterical laugh. " _You made a mistake, Frisk. You made a BIG mistake trying to be my friend. You should never have let me out. You should never have let me do anything. I should have stayed quiet. I'm an idiot. I'm the biggest fool that has ever lived. I'm a murderer. I'm the worst scum on the face-"_

**"ASRIEL IS NOT DEAD, CHARA!"**

Chara stopped abruptly, stunned by the shout that had come out their own mouth. Their eyes darted to the front door, then over to the sidewalk to make sure nobody had heard the outburst. Suddenly Chara became aware of the turbulent mind of their friend - angry, defiant, but at the same time pulsing with worry and compassion for them." 

"He is NOT dead! I refuse to believe that!" their shared voice continued to say out loud. 

_"Frisk… be quiet, or Mom is going to hear us. Or the neighbors."_

"I don't care!" Frisk snapped. "If this is the only way I can get you to listen to me and stop beating yourself up, then people will just have to think I'm crazy. But Mom and Dad do NOT hate you, and they are not GOING to hate you even when you tell them everything, and Asriel is NOT dead!" 

Slowly Chara pulled themself back together. _"I appreciate your trying to help me, but your unfounded optimism does not change reality. Asriel ceased to exist a long time ago. I know that now. Part of me has always known that. He is not coming back."_

"You came back. He can come back too." 

Chara began to grow irritated. _"That was different, Frisk."_

"No, it's not. If there's a way you could come back to life, we can find a way to get him back too." 

Chara seized control of their voice. "Are you only going to listen to reason if we sit here like an idiot child talking out loud to themself? Very well, then; I cannot explain how my consciousness ended up inside of you, but I am clearly still "me" in my thoughts and emotions and character. Flowey is nothing like that. He has nothing but Asriel's memories within him. In fact, Flowey is about as much the antitype of Asriel as possible. He is hateful, murderous, sadistic, and entirely devoid of love, mercy, or compassion." 

Frisk was silent. The only sound was the chirping insects in the trees and grass around them. Slowly the swing continued to rock. Chara's head bowed. When they spoke again, all the frustration and passion was gone from their voice. 

"And do you know what the truly idiotic thing is, Frisk? I would still like to see him. It is foolish, but somehow I still find it comforting to know that something of Asriel still exists in the world, even if it's just a hollow, twisted imitation. But I will not fool myself into thinking that my brother and my first best friend is still down there. He is gone." Absent-mindedly their hand reached to find the locket tucked under their shirt. They pulled it out and began rubbing it with their thumb and forefinger. 

Again there was silence. They idly watched as a bat circled around the streetlight near the end of their driveway, diving occasionally at the bugs floating in the light. The windchimes sang out again as the breeze picked up. Off in the distance, an approaching lightning storm lit up the clouds silently. 

"Why hasn't Flowey killed anyone, Chara?" 

Hearing Frisk speak aloud was still startling. 

_"What?"_

"Why hasn't Flowey killed anyone since the barrier came down? You were right when you said that he was hateful and sadistic. There were timelines where he killed everyone. Every single monster in the Underground. It was a twisted game for him - kill, reset, find a new way to kill. He even killed Mom and Dad. He killed us, a bunch of times, right?" 

_"Yes, but that was when he had the power of the human souls within him. We were a very easy target for a monstrosity with the power to control time."_

"Yeah, but Flowey was killing everyone _long_ before he had the souls." Frisk replied. "He almost killed me the moment I fell into the Underground, and I don't think he was even trying that hard." 

Chara sighed, both internally and out loud, and took control again. There was something strangely cathartic about having an argument out loud. 

"What's your point, Frisk?" 

"We both know that Flowey can't experience joy or guilt or compassion without a soul. In some kind of twisted way, slaughtering everyone was fun for him; it was the only thing that could still give him a thrill. And now the barrier is down. The entire _world_ is open to him. And yet he still hasn't come out yet. Why not?" 

Chara didn't answer. 

"It would be _easy_ for him to kill now. Find a human by themselves and fill them with bullets. It'd be even easier to kill a monster - wait outside their house, or find a monster that lives outdoors, and tear them to shreds. It wouldn't be hard at all for him to create absolute mayhem. Maybe kill a human child and make it look like a monster did it. Or the opposite. Humans and monsters are still really scared right now - any outbreak of violence would probably be enough to start another war. There are so many ways now for Flowey to ruin everyone's lives. So why isn't he doing it?" 

"Maybe-" Chara struggled, "maybe he's just waiting for the right moment." 

"It's been two YEARS, Chara. And he hasn't done anything! Why not?" 

"You tell me, Frisk." In spite of the clipped words, there was no hostility in Chara's tone. 

"I will." Frisk's voice was confident now. "I think the reason Flowey hasn't attacked a single person since the barrier broke, and the reason he hides in the Underground and won't even show his face, is because the old Flowey is gone. The Flowey that killed everyone for fun is gone. The Flowey that's living under the mountain now is hiding from everyone, because he feels guilty. And emotionless creatures without a soul don't feel guilty. When you and I saw Asriel, we SAVED him. Something changed with him, Chara. The Flowey that tends the garden over your grave isn't Flowey. It's _Asriel."_

"But-but he's _not_ Frisk," Chara said quietly. "Flowey can't be Asriel." 

"The old Flowey literally could not change for the better, Chara! He had no soul, no compassion, no kindness - zero. Absolutely none. And how much does he have now? Even if it's a little bit - even if it's _tiny_ \- that means that something has changed. Flowey has got to at least _partly_ be Asriel now. And if part of Asriel can come back, then who says the rest of him can't come back as well?" 

Chara went silent again. But this time, Frisk felt something new coming out of their friend. A small, wavering spark of hope. 

"You said he was dead, Chara. But I think Asriel is only _mostly_ dead. And mostly dead means slightly alive." 

That got a wave of amusement out of Chara. "Well, it is a pity that there is no Miracle Max to bring him all the way back to life. If we lived in a fairy-tale world, then maybe we could, but we don't. 

Frisk chuckled. "Am I really being told that I need to face reality by a _ghost_ living in my head?" 

Chara snorted. Frisk reached over and picked up the plate. 

"I mean, maybe I would have believed that two years ago, but can I just point out that I'm holding a slice of pie made by our _magical goat mom?"_ When Chara opened their mouth to respond, Frisk crammed a large bite into their mouth. 

_"Alright Frisk,"_ Chara continued silently as Frisk bit into the pie, " _for the sake of argument, let's assume you're right. What do you propose that we do?"_

Frisk chewed thoughtfully. Only when their mouth was empty did they speak. "I don't know. I don't know how to help Asriel. But I know he's there, and I think he's confused and that he feels guilty and that he's hurting. And I am determined to try to help him. I'm not going to let-" 

Frisk stopped suddenly, as a new sensation came bubbling up from their friend. A broad smile appeared on their face. 

"Yeah! That's the spirit, Chara! Two determined humans are better than one." 

"I-I am not convinced there is still an "Asriel" to save," Chara said in a low voice. "But… I am willing to try to consider the possibility, however remote. 

"Then let's find out. Maybe we don't need miracle pills. Maybe Asriel just needs his best friends to help him find his way home." 

Chara's eyes began to glisten. They were quiet for a moment, then reached down with the fork to the remains of the pie. " _That's a nice thought, Frisk."_

_"If anyone can find Asriel and bring him back, it's gonna be you and me."_

Chara finished the pie slowly, then put the plate back on the table. The left hand reached over and folded itself into the right, as the two children sat lost in thought. 

"Do you think he'll come?" Chara asked quietly. 

Frisk didn't reply right away. "I don't know," they admitted. "I hope so." 

"It's been almost a month since I wrote that note. Maybe he's not going to." 

"Or maybe it's really hard to come out of hiding." 

Chara smiled. "That is fair. I am hardly one to speak. But maybe you are right. Patience is not my strongest virtue, to say the least, but I will try my best. It may be that one day he will come. And If there is anything of Asriel left in him, then perhaps…" Chara's voice was barely above a whisper. "…Perhaps one day he may even forgive me." 

The smile faded, and Chara's hand went back up to rub the locket. "He called me his best friend once. What a joke that was. I was a terrible friend to him. He deserved someone far better than I ever was. He deserved a real friend. Someone who didn't just manipulate him to get what they wanted. Someone who really cared about him." Their breath hitched. "If I ever get a second chance, I would… I would very much like to be a better friend to him." 

The front door opened. Toriel leaned out and spotted them. "Frisk? Chara?" The latter name came out almost melodically, as if simply speaking the word brought her joy. "Have you finished your pie yet? It is time for you both to go to bed." 

"Ok, Mom - we'll be right there." 

Toriel smiled at them and went back inside. For a few more moments the two children sat quietly, hands folded, thinking about their hopes and fears for the future. Difficult words still needed to be spoken. Confessions had to be made, and forgiveness still sought. But love had won the day today, and one child was determined to make sure their friend wouldn't forget it. Together, they would tell their parents everything. Together, they would help them understand. Together, they would make their revelation to their friends. And then… 

And then… 

They had saved him once. Maybe they could do it again. 

With a sigh and a stretch, the two of them got up from the swing and headed inside. The door banged closed behind them, and a moment later the porch light switched off. Moonlight shone down on the yard, interspersed by the lightning that danced through the clouds far above. Off in the distance, the trill of tree frogs and guttural croaks of bullfrogs filled the air. High in the trees, the katydids continued to call to each other, and as the breeze died away, the windchimes slowly faded into silence. 

The hungry rabbit, which had been attracted to a plant under the bushes near the porch, was startled by a shuddering sound and bounded away. A few drops of moisture seemed to fall from the drooping plant itself, lightly splatting the dirt around it. Then, a faint rustling came from the ground as the soil was upturned. For a moment a fleck of yellow flashed in the moonlight. Then it, too, was gone. 


	4. Epilogue: It's Definitely You, lol

_"Chara?"_

The sudden shock from their friend had jarred Frisk awake. They turned to look at the clock. _11:30pm_. 

_"Chara, are you OK?"_

_"Oh my goodness, Frisk - he played us! He totally played us!"_

_"Wha… what?"_ Their sluggish brain couldn't make any sense of the words. 

_"Sans! That's the second time he's done it now!"_ Chara fumed. _"That shirt he handed me… the one that said 'I'm with stupid', with the arrow pointing straight up? He was totally pranking us! He knew both us of were standing right there. The only way that stupid shirt makes any sense is when you've got two people in one body wearing it!" _

_"Oh… oh!"_ Sudden realization dawned on Frisk. 

_"Man, can you believe that guy? What an insufferable jerk! Mocking us behind our back - first with tacos, now with a T-shirt. How rude can you get?"_

Frisk yawned. _"Eh, don't worry about it Chara. He was just having a bit of fun. It IS pretty funny, after all."_

_"It is faintly amusing, if you're a nitwit."_

The two of them lapsed into silence. Chara's momentary burst of annoyance faded away, and Frisk reached up to turn on the ceiling fan. Then they settled onto their back, readjusted the blanket, and lay still for a few minutes. 

_"… hey Frisk?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"…oh, never mind."_

The two of them were quiet again. 

_"Hey Chara?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You want to get that shirt, don't you?"_

_"…yeah."_

_"I'll take us back tomorrow afternoon."_

_"Could we get it in dark green?"_

_"Anything for you!"_

The mixture of gratitude and embarrassment that rolled over them almost made Frisk laugh out loud. With a whispered "goodnight", they both folded their hands over their stomach. Less than a minute later, the two best friends had drifted off into untroubled sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! And if you'd care to leave a comment, I'd love to hear what you think.


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